A lung transplant may be an option for people with severe emphysema who are not expected to live more than two or three years.
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New York, N. Weiss ST. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Risk factors and risk reduction. Han MK, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Definition, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and staging. Ferguson GT, et al. Management of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
What is bronchitis? Jong EC, et al. Travel with chronic medical conditions. In: Travel and Tropical Medicine Manual. Gautret P, et al. Journal of Travel Medicine. Fishwick D, et al. The damage to the lungs that emphysema causes happens slowly. Most of the time, people with emphysema may not even realize that they have the disease until their breathing difficulty starts to interfere with their daily activities.
Shortness of breath during physical activities is the major symptom of emphysema. A cough that is either dry or produces mucus, wheezing, and chest pain are not usually symptoms of emphysema. The main cause of emphysema is cigarette smoking.
People who have inherited the AAT deficiency may also be a greater risk for developing emphysema. People who have AAT deficiency may develop emphysema at an earlier-than-usual age, such as in their 40s or 50s. You should see your health care provider if you experience shortness of breath with daily activities. Expect your health care provider to ask you a lot of questions, such as whether you have breathing difficulty, cough up mucus, have chest pain, or hear wheezing.
If you have shortness of breath , your provider will want to know which activities make you feel this way and whether you have breathing difficulty when you sleep. Expect questions about whether you have smoked and still smoke cigarettes and whether you inhale irritants in the air at work or at home.
Your provider will also ask if any of your family members have lung problems such as COPD. Your provider will exam you and listen to your lungs with a stethoscope when you breathe in and out. Your provider will also listen to your heart beating. Most likely, your provider will order lung function tests either in the office or at the local hospital. Because of emphysema narrows the breathing tubes in your lungs, air comes out more slowly when you exhale.
This is called airflow obstruction. Another lung function test measures the damage to the air sacs in your lungs, or the diffusing capacity. After you blow out all the air in your lungs, you will be told to take a deep breath in and hold it for 10 seconds. A low diffusing capacity value suggests damage to the air sacs. Based on your medical history, physical examination findings, and the results of the lung function tests, your provider will be able to determine whether you have emphysema.
There is no treatment to repair the damage to your lungs that emphysema causes. There are treatments, however, that can improve shortness of breath and reduce the risk of an exacerbation worsening of breathing symptoms usually because of a respiratory infection.
These medications are the cornerstone of emphysema treatment. These medications open the breathing tubes in your lungs to make it easier to get all the air out and thus easier to breathe.
There are 2 types of inhaled bronchodilators, and they work in different ways to open your breathing tubes. Your provider can measure the amount of oxygen in your blood by putting a clip called an oximeter on your finger.
Starting a pulmonary rehabilitation program is the one of the best ways to improve shortness of breath, quality of life, and your ability to exercise. Depending on your situation, your provider may consider surgical treatments. For example, parts of your lung that are damaged or destroyed can interfere with more normal parts of your lung. A surgical procedure can remove these damaged parts. Another surgical procedure used for people with advanced emphysema is to insert little one-way valves—called endobronchial valves —into the breathing tubes in your lungs.
The lung specialist or surgeon uses a long, flexible tube, called a bronchoscope , with a camera and tools on the end to place the valves.
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